Slash Signs European Deal with Roadrunner Records

via Blabbermouth
Roadrunner Records has announced the signing of guitarist Slash for the forthcoming European release of his debut solo album, Slash, in spring 2010.

Slash will see Roadrunner Records enter into a unique and innovative association with a UK media partner — the special-interest media group Future. In a brand new concept in record distribution the standard album release will be preceded by a "fan pack," in which the Roadrunner Records album will be bundled together with a highly collectable special issue of Future Publishing's Classic Rock magazine dedicated to Slash's career. This will be the first format of the album available anywhere in the world.

Slash will release a two-track CD single in Japan on November 11 containing the song "Sahara" (featuring singer Koshi Inaba of the Japanese hard rock duo B'Z) and a version of the GN'R classic "Paradise City" (featuring Cypress Hill and Fergie).

"Sahara" is expected to appear on Slash's forthcoming solo album. According to the guitarist, "the [record] is in its mixing stage and the mixes to this point sound great. We have recorded 18 songs, with one more I want to track." He added, "the record is still slated for a February/March release."

Slash Jams with Alice Cooper, Corey Taylor Speaks

Slash jamming with the MC5's Wayne Kramer

Slash joined Alice Cooper on stage Wednesday night (October 28) at Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles to perform the classic track "School's Out."

According to Examiner.com, Slash played the song on his red sunburst Les Paul, as Cooper strutted on stage in a glittering suit and matching top hat. Cooper then proclaimed, "Happy Halloween."

Read a review and check out photos of the concert at this location. (via Blabbermouth)

In other news, Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor has confirmed that he was being considered for the singer slot in Velvet Revolver.

Speaking to Altitude TV (see video below), Taylor said, "I had a meeting with those guys, we did some demos together, and it just didn't work — for whatever reason."



He added, "It was just really cool. It was one of those things where it's like I could have got to jam with legends, man, in my opinion. But, you know, it was cool, and I still know those guys, I still hang out with them, and I still have nothing but respect."

Slash was asked a few months ago by the webmaster of his official fan site if there was any truth to the rumor that Taylor was going to be the next VR singer. According to a posting on the site, Slash "said it looked like it for a minute, but they had decided against it."

Slash will appear on George Lopez' new talk show on TBS November 16.

You can watch Slash N' Friends playing "Immigrant Song" and "Highway to Hell" from the 'Jason Cam' below (Kristiansand, Norway June 30, 2009).

Slash Was Paid $1.65 Million For Quart Fest Appearance

via Blabbermouth
According to Dagbladet.no, Slash was paid 10 million Norwegian kroner (approximately $1.65 million) for his headlining appearance at this year's edition of the Quart festival on June 30, 2009 in Kristiansand, Norway.

Quart festival manager Arild Buli would not comment on the report when contacted by Dagbladet.no, calling it "an internal matter" and expressing his concern about "confidential information" being leaked to the public.

Related: Slash and Friends Rock Norway

Slash Turns 44

Slash was born Saul Hudson on this date in 1965, in Berkshire, England.

Slash is a living legend, and the most distinctive guitar player of his generation.

His guitar playing on Appetite for Destruction is the ultimate fusion of Sleazy Blues and Punk Rock, and has never been replicated since, even by Slash himself.

Currently, Slash is working on his first-ever "solo" album with fellow GN'R alums Izzy Stradlin and Steven Adler as well as rock legends Ozzy Osbourne, Ron Wood and Lemmy Kilmister.

It's been a strange year for Slash.

Besides working on his solo album, Slash rocked Norway's Quart Fest with an all-star group of musicians and vocalists.

On June 5, Slash's mother Ola Hudson passed away. She was only 62. Her death was sudden and unexpected.

In May Slash was a mentor on American Idol's Rock Week. He played with Tommy Clufetos (drums), Chris Chaney (bass) and Kerri Kelli (guitar).

Slash's solo disc is expected out in early 2010. His band, Velvet Revolver is currently on hiatus.

Happy Birthday Slashman!

“Scott Weiland is like George Bush to me – I like him now that he’s gone…”

Classic Rock
Slash was unhappy throughout his entire career in Velvet Revolver – and working on his forthcoming solo album has given him a new creative lease of life. The former GN’R/VR guitarist has been talking to Classic Rock about the dissolution of VR and how the band’s split with Scott Weiland pushed him work by himself on a solo album.

“Now at this point I can talk about it,” says Slash. “I always support whatever group I’m playing with – I’ll never say anything bad about them while I’m in it. But fuckin Velvet Revolver – that was the toughest five years, dealing with that band, just because of the obvious [Weiland] and really, really bad management. Joke management for the entire time.

“For some reason in that entire five years I could never be happy. I could never get comfortable and happy with it because it was such a fucking mess. That last tour in the UK was the first time I ever had any fun in that band – because I knew that Scott was leaving and it was a huge relief.

“But, all things considered, Scott to me is now like George Bush – y’know, I like him now that he’s not here. I have nothing bad to say about Scott, but he doesn’t work well with others in a group situation. So towards the end I had written a bunch of music and there were a lot of restrictions because of him writing in Velvet and a lot of stuff that I wanted to do was just sort of squelched. Y’know Slither happened and Fall To Pieces and a couple of other songs I wrote, but it didn’t have the direction that the group – especially before Scott came into it – really set off in. Especially on that last record – which I still think is a good record, but was a lot mellower than [I would have liked].

“Anyway, so I was writing a lot of material and on that last UK tour I started taping a lot of stuff and when I got home I was like, ‘I need to get away from this group situation – I just need to be in control of something and do things my own way’. So it was a relief. And we’ll see – it’s not really about trying to make the biggest record in the world, but I will support it. I’ll go out there and do what I have to do to make sure that people go out there and listen to it cos I think it’s a cool record.”

How will that affect Velvet Revolver?

“Well Duff’s on tour, I’m doing my record, so it’s sort of at a standstill. I haven’t heard any amazing submissions from singers as of late, so I might… Y’know, Velvet when it finds the right guy will be amazing, but I’m in no rush. I’m not freaking out – because that’s how we got Scott in the first place. He was the first decent guy that came up.”

After the Norway gig everyone is going to think Franky Perez is the guy.

“I thought about that. Yeah, Franky’s fucking bad ass. You know, he did some time with Velvet but I think because I was so preoccupied with my record nothing really came of it. Anyway, we’ll see what happens. When my record comes out there’s going to be a lot of different things that I can do so what happens as far as Velvet is concerned – we’re going to be on a hiatus until we lock together and say, ‘Hey, these are our options, let’s see what we’re going to do’. I don’t know if Franky is going to be the guy or what – he’s just a really, really good singer. Even Ozzy came up and said, ‘Who the fuck is that guy? He’s fucking great!’ He actually said: ‘What the fuck am I doing up here? He’s the one that should be singing…’”

In Norway, Franky Perez confirmed that he had worked with VR in the last six months: “I’ve probably known Slash a little under a year. We have this mutual friend and we’ve run into each other a few times but we met – actually met, met – about six months ago. And then I was working with Velvet Revolver for a little bit and then Slash started doing his solo record…”

So you worked with VR after Weiland left?

“Yes. So I got to hang out with all the guys and started working with them and then about the same time Slash had to work on his solo project and Duff was doing Loaded so that dissipated, but the great thing is that I got to have a great relationship with Slash.”

Did he realise that the internet was going to be filled with ‘Franky-is-the-new-Velvet-Revolver-frontman’ stories?

The singer just smiles and shrugs: “Well, you know, if the opportunity comes around, I’m ready.”

For a full interview with Slash & Friends, see Classic Rock 136, on sale 19 August.

John 5 to Replace Zakk Wylde in Ozzy's Band?

via Blabbermouth
Ozzy Osbourne has revealed to Classic Rock magazine that he is currently searching for a new guitarist for his solo band.

Classic Rock caught up with Osbourne last week at the Slash & Friends gig in Norway, where the whispers backstage had guitarist John 5 lined up as a possible replacement for Zakk Wylde.

"Well, I'm getting a new guitar player as we speak," Ozzy told Classic Rock, "and everyone has been saying to me for a long time, 'Get Johnny 5!' And I tried him at one time and I didn't really give him a chance. We'll see, I don't know. I haven't fallen out with Zakk, but Zakk's got his own band, and I felt like my stuff was beginning to sound like Black Label Society. I just felt like I wanted a change, y'know?

I've got a guy from Greece coming in — not the musical, the country of Greece — but I'm not going to say too much about it, 'cos I don't know myself at this point. I've got a new album, I'm working on it as we speak. I've got a studio at my house and I've got a guy called Kevin Churko, the guy that did the last album — he's great to work with.

And it's great to have your own studio. On one hand it's great and on the other it's not, 'cos when you're at the studio you can go, 'Sorry darling, I can't get home for dinner, I'm stuck at the studio' But she can fucking come down stairs now! But I'm just enjoying my life now"

Classic Rock: So you're taking it easy recording this album?

Ozzy: "Oh yeah. Zakk came down and did a bunch of stuff and I don't know if I want to use it but I've got it there if I do. And this Kevin Churko is a bit of an all-rounder so I'm getting back to basics in some respects. One thing about a guy who can't do all the finger-tapping stuff is that he plays better on the riffs 'cos it's not all [hums riff for 'Iron Man' followed by over-the-top widdling]."

Classic Rock: Does Heaven & Hell having a new album out make you more competitive?

Ozzy: "No. Not in the slightest. I really wish them well. I mean I've been out of that band three times longer than I was ever in them. But people say, 'What do you think about Dio?' He's great singer. I've grown up since the days when I used to get pissed and slag him off. For whatever it's worth, good luck to them. I don't want to make enemies — I made enough when I was drinking, I try to make friends with people these days!"


You can read the full interview here. Thanks to IngridMJ for the photos.

Slash And Friends Rock Norway

By Scott Rowley for Classic Rock.

Backed by an all-star band including Jason Bonham, Chris Cheney (formerly of Jane’s Addiction), guitarist extraordinaire John 5 (Marilyn Manson, Rob Zombie), and star-in-the-waiting Frankie Perez on vocals, Slash & Friends played a 19-song set of rock classics that, in a strong summer of classic rock events, stands as one of the highlights of the summer.



It started with Slash, Bonham, 5, Cheney and Perez ripping the arse out of "Immigrant Song." Perez, a Las Vegas rocker who’s done his own solo album and worked with System Of A Down side-project Scars On Broadway, is the perfect fit – amiable but bad-assed and blessed with a voice that can handle a Led Zeppelin classic as easily as AC/DC’s "Highway To Hell" or Nazareth’s "Hair Of The Dog." His take on "Slither and "Fall To Pieces," meanwhile, surely marks him out as the frontrunner for the vacant Velvet Revolver spot. (Backstage Perez and Slash revealed to Classic Rock that Frankie had been working with VR post-Weiland, before Slash’s solo album and Duff’s Loaded commitments put it all on hold.)



For "Nightrain," McQueen’s Leah Duors takes over on vocals. Slash has long championed the all-girl band and Duors shows why, with a vicious Axl-with-PMT vocal, and a stage presence that belies her current little-league status.



After Leah, it’s time for the big guns. Rumours were that Ronnie Wood had fallen off the wagon again. It’s possible, but you can’t tell. The tracks Woodsy joins them for – "Honky Tonk Women," "Stay With Me," "Knocking On Heaven’s Door" (cheekily – or sincerely? – dedicated by Slash to Michael Jackson) and "It’s Only Rock’n’Roll" – were custom-built for sloppy, boozed-up playing. Teddy Andreadis plays piano and sings in a great Dr John meets Joe Cocker voice. It’s a riot.








Black Eyed Pea Fergie is next up. Cynical? Don’t be. She looks like a rock goddess, and she sounds like a rock god, taking "Black Dog" by the scrotum and hitting high notes that Mr. Plant just can’t anymore. By the end of it the audience is a huge braying horny mass of Viking puppy dogs, with its tongues out and eyes on stalks.



Fergie: “How do you feel?”
Crowd: “RAAAAAARGH!”
Fergie: “I said how do you feel?”
Crowd: “ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!”


The last time I saw Ozzy Osbourne perform was with Black Sabbath at Download 2005. Sabbath were sluggish, dreary and at the end of their tether. Tonight, by contrast, Ozzy is a ball of energy. “Lemme see your hands!” he shouts, and the whole field sways. The guy next to me starts walking around, randomly humping the legs of strangers. “Let’s go fucking crazy!” You’ve heard it a million times, but seeing it work like it does today is a sight to behold. John 5 brings Randy Rhoads back to life as they plough through "Crazy Train," "War Pigs," "I Don’t Know" and "Paranoid." The sound is so big I swear it created a new fjord behind us.







Then he’s off and Frankie and Fergie are back on for "Whole Lotta Love" and "Paradise City." The show ends, Fergie writhing on the floor, Frankie leading the charge, Slash soloing into the night. “This is one of the best gigs I’ve had in a very long time,” says the man himself.





There's more to the article here.

The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle

Aftenbladet
Skambankt frontman Terje Winterstø Røthing slaughters Slash, Ron Wood and Ozzy Osbourne over the show at Quart yesterday.


Skambankt frontman Terje Winterstø Røthing played at Quart yesterday. Later in the evening he complained about Slash.

The group which went by the name "Slash & Friends" arrived on the scene Tuesday evening at Quart. Slash shared the stage with Ron Wood, Ozzy Osbourne, Jason Bonham and Fergie. How well this worked, opinions varied during and after the concert. One of those who wasn't satisfied was guitarist and vocalist Terje Winterstø Røthing. He played with Skambankt earlier in the evening.

"This is the great rock 'n roll swindle. And you can quote me on that."

"Can you elaborate a little?"

"What can you really say beyond that? The biggest karaoke show ever."

Reviews after the concert were varied. Torgrim Øyre of Dagbladet described it this way: "Slash & Friends - one of the most unlikely gigs in Norwegian festival history." He gave it four stars, and described the group as a "high-profile cover-band." Harald Fossberg of the BBC was "not impressed," and called the scheme "Slash Karaoke." He gave it three stars, as did VG.


Audiences we spoke with after the concert were divided in their opinions. Arne Grimerud walked out before Ozzy went on stage.

"It was just sad. To see my old heroes up there doing karaoke wasn't anything special. It was a fun experiment, but nothing more," he said on his way out of Bendik Bay.



Sonia Nes had traveled from Denmark to get to the concert. "Fantastic! We'll never see this again. People from Guns N' Roses, The Rolling Stones, and Black Sabbath together on the same stage. It was great," she said.

Vidar A. Hansen who came with a large group of friends spoke with us immediately after the show.

"Slash is a genius, but Fergie on vocals for "Sweet Child O'Mine" was not so great. Ozzy, however - well, he is Ozzy, 'The Prince of Fucking Darkness!' It's amazing that he's able to sing at all, and he actually did quite well. This was the best show - it worked surprisingly well," he said.

Slash at Quart - Slash & Friends Setlist

Slash & Friends
Tuesday, June 30, 2009 10:30 PM - Midnight
Quart Festival, Kristiansand, Norway

Slash and Friends is:

Slash and John 5 (guitars), Chris Chaney (bass), Jason Bonham (drums), Franky Perez (vocals), & Teddy 'Zig-Zag' Andreadis (keybords).
Featuring special guests Ron Wood, Ozzy Osbourne, and Fergie.


"Immigrant Song"
"Highway to Hell"
"Hair of the Dog"
"Fall to Pieces"
"Black or White"
"Slither"
"Nightrain"
"Honky Tonk Women"
"Stay With Me"
"Knockin' on Heaven's Door"
"It's Only Rock N' Roll"
"Sweet Child O' Mine"
"Barracuda"
"Black Dog"
"War Pigs"
"I Don't Know"
"Crazy Train"
"Paranoid"
"Whole Lotta Love"
"Paradise City"

I don't have any audio or video of the set yet, so in the meantime, if you like, you can try out this pair of Snakepit shows from this same weekend - 14 years ago.

Slash's Snakepit - Paris - June 29, 1995
Slash's Snakepit - Roskilde Festival - July 2, 1995

Slash at Quart - Interview with Perla Hudson

In this interview, Perla talks about how Slash got involved with the Quart Festival.

Slash at Quart - Today's Main Stage Lineup

• Slash & Friends
• McQueen
• Skambankt
• Juke Kartel

Opening the show today will be Melbourne, Australia-based band Juke Kartel.


Hand-picked by Slash himself to open the show "Juke Kartel is about one thing only. Forget the branding, strip away the hype. All that matters is the music.Rocking loud and hard, with a respectful nod to the blues, Juke Kartel is a charismatic blend of talent, passion and dedication with a downright mischievous streak."

Next up is Skambankt, a Norwegian hard rock band from Klepp.


They play a mixture of classic rock'n'roll, punk and hard rock in the tradition of bands like Motörhead, AC/DC, Sex Pistols, Ramones and The Stooges. All the lyrics are in Norwegian, and they convey the real spirit of punk: against the state, against the system, against corruption, capitalism, monitoring, religious fanaticism, and generally hate and treachery. (Wikipedia)

Playing the penultimate slot is Brighton's own McQueen.


One of Slash' own personal favorites, in 2008 McQueen signed-up with new Manager Tom Zutaut, former head of A&R at Geffen Records and the man who signed Guns N' Roses.

"Zoot" wasted no time getting McQueen on the bill with Velvet Revolver for their UK tour before shipping the band out for a bullet tour of Australia and New Zealand, supporting Finnish band HIM.

Slash told Classic Rock Magazine that "the main band that I am excited about at the moment is McQueen. They’re one of those off-the-wall sorta left-field bands, all-girls, sorta heavy metal, but they’re really fucking committed - they take their shit very seriously. I played Nightrain with them in Nashville - and I haven’t played that song since before I left GN’R - and the singer, Leah, sang Paradise City at a Camp Freddy gig. It was impressive - she sang in key; there was no auto tuner on her voice. They have a lot of attitude, but if you don’t fuck with them, they’re very well behaved!"

However, the biggest star of this show may be the stage itself. The largest stage ever built in Norway - 576 square meters not including support stages or ramps - is situated at the base of the "Amfiet," a 10 acre lawn with spectacular view of the skerries outside Kristiansand.

Slash at Quart - The Artists Arrive

Slash at Quart

On June 30, 2009, legendary rocker Slash, will take the stage in Kristiansand, Norway for the 2009 Quart Festival.

For the opening night of the festival, Slash has invited several of his friends to join him on stage.

Slash will be joined by living legend Ozzy Osbourne, acclaimed rock drummer Jason Bonham, former Marilyn Manson guitarist John 5, Rolling Stones guitarist Ron Wood and Pop Star Fergie of the Black Eyed Peas.

"We've got a great set for Norway, but we're not playing any songs from my new CD," says Slash. Instead, Slash and Friends will perform some of music's greatest Rock N' Roll hits, including "Sweet Child O' Mine," "Crazy Train," "Black Dog," and many more.

Alumni News

Via his Twitter account, Slash posted a recent picture of himself and his mother Ola Hudson. Great shirt Slash, and thanks for being so open with your fans during such a difficult time.

Slash is scheduled to play Norway's Quart Fest on June 30.


Canadian guitarist and vocalist Rob Lamothe just the posted MP3s of his Velvet Revolver audition on his official site.

I think he has a pretty cool voice.

"Heartbreak"

"Hollywood"

(right-click, save as)

Meanwhile, former Velvet Revolver vocalist Scott Weiland recently told ARTISTdirect that Stone Temple Pilots has "18 songs written, and vocals are written on about 10 of them."

Former Velvet Revolver bass player Duff McKagan was interviewed on June 10 at the Caribana festival in Switzerland. The interview focused mainly on Duff's new disc with his band Loaded. According to Duff, "it's a straight-up Rock 'n' Roll record."

Next week I'll be publishing my belated review of the album - Sick.



An extended video of Adler's Appetite playing this past Monday night at the SoDo nightclub in Colorado Springs, is embedded below.

Their set: Nightrain, My Michelle, Civil War, Mr. Brownstone, Knockin' on Heaven's Door, Rocket Queen, Mama Kin, Sweet Child O' Mine, Paradise City, Welcome To The Jungle.



Finally, thanks to the kind folks at ChopAway.com, I was able to put together this video slideshow of Izzy Stradlin performing "Battleship Chains" live. I'm guessing that the recording is from his 2000 European tour. Thanks for the audio guys. Enjoy.

Slash at Quart Fest

Slash (via Twitter) announced the linep for his Quart Fest gig today.

The band consits of Jason Bonham (drums), Chris Chaney (bass), John 5 (guitar), Franky Perez (vocals) & Teddy 'Zig-Zag' Andreadis (keyboards).



Special guests will include Fergie, Ron Wood & Ozzy Osbourne.

Slash: "Should be a gas."

Franky Perez

Las Vegas, Nevada singer and guitarist Franky Perez dropped some news on his MySpace blog

"On June 30th I'll be Singing with Slash & Friends at The Quart Festival in Kristiansand, Norway. Other Artists performing with us that night will be Ozzy Ozbourne, Ronnie Wood, Jason Bonham, Fergie, and many more... "





It looks to me like Slash found himself a pretty cool singer.

Slash's Weekly Update (May 29 2009)

May 29, 2009 - Friday

weekly update

Hey all, how's it going? I've been really busy with recording etc, I haven't been keeping in touch.

Outside of working on the record things have been quiet. No VR updates as of this writing, but I'm anxious to see something happen with an amazing frontman for the band in the not too distant future, whoever that might be.

My gig at the Quart Fest is coming up in Norway, June 30th. Which, is starting to come together. I'll post who all's playing next week, but it's a great line-up & the songs so far are shaping up to be a really great set.

As far as the record goes, we're almost done with vocals, 2 more songs left & a couple odds & ends. Then, I can stand back & see what we've got. It is a fucking awesome ensemble, that much I do know, with brilliant performances from each & every singer. I do hope to have a release date soon, but I can assure you, as I said before, it won't be this year. It will, most definitely, be out be very early in the new year. Even though the recording process is almost done, the legal logistics involved with so many different artists takes a minute to iron out.

When the record is released I plan on posting what gear was used on what songs; guitars, amps etc. Although, most of it was done with one guitar & 2 amps. A lot of interesting mike set-ups though. The record is being recorded anolog as well, this might be one of the last rock & roll records to be recorded that way, no joke. So, of course, I have to release it on vinyl, as well as cd.

Right then, I guess that's it. I'll have the Quart Fest line-up for you guys next week & anything else that comes up as well, have a good one.

Slash iiii||; ),
Sent via Satan ] ; ) >